Senior Social Worker-Home Based Primary Care

Veterans Health Administration • Grand Junction, CO

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Social Worker provides specialized psychosocial assessment, counseling, treatment, case management, consultation, education, and advocacy to Veterans receiving Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC). The role serves Veterans and their families across varied socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, and educational backgrounds, coordinating VA, government, and community resources to support delivery of services. The position requires advanced practice skills and judgment in a specialty area, including the ability to address complex and multiple causes in diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges.

The Senior Social Worker provides specialized consultation to colleagues and students, models effective social work practice, and may teach, mentor, and provide supervision for licensure or specialty certification. The position also supports development of clinical knowledge, innovative psychosocial assessment and intervention models, and HBPC-related policies, procedures, or practice guidelines as directed by the HBPC Program Manager. Other duties may be assigned by the Program Manager.

The position follows a Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. schedule. Compressed or flexible scheduling may be available. Telework and virtual work are not available. Frequent community travel is required to meet Veterans and community stakeholders and provide community-based care, using a government vehicle or other individual arrangements. The position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program, subject to individual eligibility and program approval; the potential award is up to $200,000 over one to five years.

Requirements

• Master's degree in social work from a school fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE); a doctoral degree cannot substitute for the master's degree.
• State license or certification to independently practice social work at the master's degree level.
• Advanced-practice state license or certification, including an advanced generalist or clinical examination, subject to the stated state grandfathering provisions.
• At least two years of experience after advanced-practice clinical licensure in a specialized area of social work practice, including one year equivalent to GS-11.
• Ability to provide supervision for licensure.
• Demonstrated skill in specialized interventions and treatment modalities, including counseling or psychotherapy and advanced psychosocial or case-management interventions.
• Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation into differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
• Knowledge of developing and implementing methods to measure social-work practice and service effectiveness, use outcome evaluations to improve treatment, and design system changes.
• Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students and model effective social-work practice.
• Ability to expand clinical knowledge and write policies, procedures, or practice guidelines for the service delivery area.
• Valid, unrestricted state-issued driver's license and ability to travel locally and frequently in the community.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• U.S. citizenship, except where appointment of a non-citizen is permitted under VA policy.
• Ability to meet the position's physical requirements, including primarily light and sedentary work with occasional moderate demands, sitting, walking, bending, carrying supplies, close visual acuity, and repetitive hand or wrist motions.
• Ability to complete required background/security investigation, onboarding, identification, and seasonal influenza vaccination requirements.
• Ability to serve a one- or two-year trial period.

Nice To Haves

• Certification or post-master's training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university, including a defined curriculum or course of study and internship or equivalent supervised specialty experience.
• Prior work experience or military service may qualify for credit toward annual-leave accrual, subject to approval.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with Veterans, staff, families, and other parties.
• Use knowledge of community resources to make referrals, coordinate services, and serve as a liaison between Veterans or their families and VA and community resources.
• Independently conduct psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions for individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Provide specialized individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy, psychosocial interventions, and case management for Veterans, including those with polytraumatic injuries, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, visual impairment, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Provide consultation, education, and advocacy to Veterans and their families regarding community resources, VA benefits, specialty programs, end-of-life planning, and access to community-based and other services.
• Coordinate delivery of specialized psychosocial services and programs.
• Develop treatment plans and incorporate complex multiple causation into differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
• Consult with colleagues and students on psychosocial treatment in Home-Based Primary Care and model effective social work practice.
• Teach and mentor staff and students in the specialty area and provide supervision for licensure or specialty certifications.
• Expand clinical knowledge, develop innovative psychosocial assessment and intervention models, and write HBPC policies, procedures, or practice guidelines as directed by the HBPC Program Manager.
• Perform other duties assigned by the HBPC Program Manager.
• Travel frequently in the community to provide care and meet with representatives and stakeholders supporting Veterans.
• Demonstrate infection-control practices for disease prevention.

Benefits

• Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), with an award of up to $200,000 subject to eligibility and approval.
• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, including annual leave, sick leave, and 11 paid Federal holidays.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment.
• Potential childcare subsidy for eligible full-time employees after 60 days of employment.
• Traditional federal pension and federal 401(k), with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior